Lesufi’s government fails to meet job creation targets despite high unemployment rate

30 November 2023

The Gauteng Department of Economic Development has once again failed the residents of this province by not meeting critical targets set for the second quarter of the 2023/2024 financial year, even though the cost of living, unemployment and poverty have drastically increased in this province.

For the second quarter, they failed to meet the target of creating 12 500 jobs through the township economy programmes as only 1 220 were created. According to the department, the failure to meet this target was due to the late disbursement of the Township Economy Partnership Fund funds.

During the first quarter, the department failed to meet its job creation targets and used the same reason. It has become a trend for this department not to meet job creation targets.

This is a clear indication that the Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s government is failing the residents of this province.

The core mandate of this department is to grow the Gauteng economy. Failing to do so means that the private sector will not have the confidence to invest in the province.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) proposes that the government must cut the red tape involved in doing business with the government, foster public-private partnerships and root out corruption.

It is high time that the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) learned from its counterparts in the Western Cape about best practices for involving the private sector in job creation initiatives.

Issued by Nicola Du Plessis, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Economic Development, 30 November 2023